Indian Creek students to be published authors
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WINTERSVILLE -- Two teenage writers will see their original works in print, when they become published authors next year. Members of Indian Creek High School's Ink Society, a creative writing club, took part in the national Young Writers contest during the fall. English teacher and club adviser Aaron Morrida announced sophomore Gracie Higgins and freshman Cameron Minor were selected to have their stories published in an upcoming "Stranger Sagas" anthology.
The annual contest is open to writers between the ages of 11 and 18. Students are challenged to write a scary story, with the three top finishers receiving a prize. Morrida was notified of his students success and surprised the girls with the good news. He presented each a certificate and bookmark to commemorate their achievement.
Morrida explained students were asked to write a 100-word story using a spooky theme. They had been given a prompt that included a classic horror concept, along with a creature and conflict. Higgins and Minor were chosen to be included in the contest's latest edition.
"The organization does two contests during the fall and spring and they had one month to work on the story," Morrida explained. "This is the second year we've had students get published."
Morrida said three authors from Creek were selected last year. Being involved again is a thrill.
"They worked very hard," Morrida said, noting the publication could be released around February. "We will reserve a copy with an option to buy, but one copy will be in the school library."
Higgins, daughter of Kayla Higgins of Mingo Junction, said her tale "The Zombie Switch," is based on an interest her mom and a friend share.
"They are into zombies and I thought about that," Higgins stated, adding she hopes to continue writing. "Being published helps people think about their future," she added.
Minor, daughter of Michael and Kassie Minor of Steubenville, said it was a challenge to compress a story within the word limit, but she was excited by the outcome. Her work, entitled "Bloodthirst," looks at how far evolution can go -- where life on another planet can become inhuman.
"It shows me what I can do," Minor said of her win.
Morrida said the Ink Society averages 10 members, with the young scribes focusing on honing their skills and the foundational aspects discussed in literature, including the plot and character development.
"This is the application of the literature," Morrioda concluded. "It's reinforcing the academic end, but they have a creative end. We do a few contests and they are developing their own novels."
The club has had juniors and seniors published on Amazon Kindle. It includes an editor, junior editor, webmaster and junior webmaster who are developing a website on WordPress.